Ending months of speculation that peaked earlier today when retailers jumped the gun, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai took the stage at Gamescom and made the PS3 Slim official to a roar of applause.
The PS3 Slim is functionally identical to its predecessors in that it will include full Blu-ray Disc support, HDMI connectivity and wireless Internet. The hard drive will be 120GB, in between the 80GB and 160GB models currently available.
Where PS3 Slim lives up to its name is in being 33 percent smaller and 36 percent lighter than the existing PS3 skus. High-res images should be available later today.
Online retailer Amazon.com is already taking pre-orders for PS3 Slim which should be a hot item this holiday season not only for its gaming capabilities, but also its built-in Blu-ray player.
Click here to view the PS3 pre-order page at Amazon.com.
The first batch of PS3 Slim consoles is expected to be available on store shelves by September 1.
